Amsterdam Museum buys 1889 painting depicting its own former residents

The Amsterdam Museum purchased a painting by Thérèse Schwartze that depicts girls singing at the Amsterdam Municipal Orphanage. The museum acquired the work at the PAN art fair in the Netherlands.

The painting shows young female residents of the orphanage wearing their traditional red and black dresses. The museum currently operates out of the former orphanage building on Kalverstraat, which is undergoing renovations until 2030.

Curator Norbert Middelkoop stated that the acquisition brings a piece of the building's own history into the permanent collection. New York art dealer Lawrence Steigrad sold the two-meter-wide work to the museum for 200,000 euros after offering a 50,000 euro discount. The museum funded the purchase through its own resources, a crowdfunding campaign, and a donation from the Judith Leyster Fund. This fund, established by the Rembrandt Association, aims to increase the visibility of female artists.

The museum plans to place the painting in a central exhibition space once construction finishes.